Mr. Garvan Cummins:

I thank the committee for the invitation to the meeting. I co-founded the voluntary community campaign group, Déise Greenway, in 2013 for the repurposing of the old Waterford to Dungarvan railway line into a greenway. We were very much inspired by the Great Southern Trail group in Limerick, who created the first greenway in the country in the early 1990s. Our campaign led Waterford City and County Council, led by CEO Michael Walsh, to construct a 46 km greenway. He predicted at the time that it would be an economic driver and a game-changer for Waterford. Almost nine years after its opening, it has proved to be exactly that.

The Waterford greenway is well up there as one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. Waterford is a beautiful county, with lots to see and do but we did not have a hook to bring tourists and visitors in to stay for a number of days or longer.

For example, Clare has the Cliffs of Moher. Galway has Connemara and the Aran Islands. Now we have the greenway as our hook and tourists coming to us enjoy the many other attractions and activities in our county. The transformation in rural Waterford along the greenway route and beyond has been phenomenal. We are getting massive rural spend with accommodations, cafés and restaurants flourishing, and a spinoff to many other activities and attractions in the county. An old workhouse and a railway cottage have been converted into very popular restaurants. There are dozens of new accommodations throughout the county because of the greenway. There are bike-hire businesses, including one I run.

Dungarvan is now a bright colourful town, busy with visitors. A new hotel has just opened and an extension is being built on another hotel. There is also planning for another hotel. Existing hospitality businesses are on a stronger financial footing. Dungarvan has now become a foodie and hospitality town. Kilmacthomas, which faced challenging times over the past decades, has now become vibrant and bright with new restaurants, facilities and hope. The Suir Valley Railway at Kilmeaden has increased business massively and next door is the Mount Congreve house and gardens with a pathway to the greenway. Waterford city has now a new impressive greenway approach into the city and a bridge to bring cyclists and walkers across the River Suir to continue on the newly opened greenway to New Ross. It will be 70 km in total. Waterford city will benefit massively, as will Glenmore, New Ross and all the little townlands along the way.

Our farming communities have many opportunities for added income to their farming business. One farmer said, "A parade of tired hungry tourists passing your gate is a cash crop, it seems. They need food and somewhere to sleep." The greenway has brought great community spirit and cohesion to our rural areas. Our townlands are alive. Our proposed greenway 15 years ago was described as a monstrosity, with all kinds of unwanted and undesirables coming to our areas. Predictions of privacy issues, antisocial behaviour, disruption of daily farming, crime and robbery of houses, dogs roaming, insurance problems, arson, devaluing of houses, elderly people feeling vulnerable, etc., were all proved untrue; the opposite happened. The greenway brings wholesome people, be they tourists or locals, who bring great vibes to our area and are a higher spending group.

Locals have made the greenway their walking and cycling oasis away from the stresses of working and family life. We get many school trips from all parts of the country. People and groups with special needs use this traffic-free pathway in huge numbers. Multigenerational family groups and older adults, active retirement groups and even choirs are coming. Sports clubs are using it as a training facility. Greenways are ideal safe paths because rural roads are just not safe for cycling or walking. It has had very positive effects on rural isolation, particularly for our farming community.

The health and leisure benefits of cycling and walking are clear to be seen. Transport policy must be connected to health policy. We need people to be more active now rather than storing up problems for the future leading to increased healthcare costs, obesity, infirmity etc. Mental health is a big issue in our communities now and infrastructure like greenways have been proven to reduce stress, anxiety, drug use, etc., while promoting self-esteem, well-being, social and community cohesion and interaction. Rural areas of Mayo, Louth, Limerick, Kerry, Cork, Kilkenny, Tipperary and the midland counties are all benefiting massively from greenways but we need more.

Greenways are not just pathways for people to walk and cycle on; they are much more than that. They are essential infrastructure for both rural and urban areas. We need more corridors through our countryside other than roads for rural Ireland to remain alive. Dependency on fossil fuel transport must decline. Future generations will thank us for what we construct now. The positives will massively outweigh the negatives. Let us leave a positive legacy.

Our greenway was a former railway line that was still technically in CIÉ ownership and I appreciate that other ones are not. They are obviously not all the same.